A/HRC/52/32
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
28 December 2022
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Fifty-second session
27 February–31 March 2023
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
Transformation of services for persons with disabilities
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with
disabilities, Gerard Quinn
Summary
In the present report, submitted to the Human Rights Council pursuant to Council
resolution 44/10, the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities provides
an overview of the activities undertaken in 2022, and presents a thematic study on
reimagining services in the twenty-first century to give effect to the right of persons with
disabilities to live independently and be included in the community.
In his study, the Special Rapporteur outlines how traditional service and support
models often perpetuate dependency and lack of agency by focusing on impairments and
considering persons with disabilities as passive recipients of care. This approach is at odds
with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which is grounded in
personhood, autonomy and community inclusion. Against this backdrop, he argues that a
wholly new philosophy of service and support is emerging and requires clearer articulation
in law and policy. He elaborates on the wide range of policy tools at the disposal of States to
do so, while highlighting key policy challenges and pointing to the potential of the business
sector to be an actor for change. The Special Rapporteur then provides conclusions and
recommendations on the ways in which different actors should advance the transformation
of services and support for persons with disabilities.
GE.22-28756 (E)
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